What kind of feeling-free, predatory money-grabber does something like that?

Zuckerberg, though, is keen not to disrupt the neighborhood (and his own image). So he's buying the houses and leasing them back to the folks who currently live in them.

The progressive purchases began in December. And one house he bought -- a 2,600 square-foot edifice -- fetched $14 million. Which seems even more absurd than the fee Yahoo paid for Tumblr.

I have contacted Facebook to see whether Zuckerberg might lease me a cellar in one of the houses -- I'm sorry, I mean to see whether the company might comment on this apparent sprint to privacy. I will update, should my request survive inspections. Update 10:52 a.m. PT: A Facebook spokeswoman contacted me, but could not offer comment on these transactions.

This truly isn't a case of the rich not being like you and me. One can surely understand Zuckerberg not wanting to have people snooping around his steamed-up windows, or even buying a neighboring house just to live next to him.

This is more a case of the shifting definition of personal information.

Your personal life is now known as Facebook's data. Its CEO's personal life is now known as mind your own business.

About the author

Chris Matyszczyk is an award-winning creative director who advises major corporations on content creation and marketing. He brings an irreverent, sarcastic, and sometimes ironic voice to the tech world.
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